For Better Quality Home Care

for Your Loved One

that Suffered a Stroke in

Homestead

305-625-9299

You want to do what’s right for your loved one – making sure their life is as happy, comfortable and independent as possible.

But the demands of the real world often turn our best intentions inside out.

How do you care for your loved one and still have time for yourself as well?

How Stroke Affects the Brain

Our office has experiencedOn-Call Supervisors ready to respond to calls anytime day or night, 24 Hours, 365 days a year.

Professional, Dedicated Help For Your Personal Needs and Circumstances…

At Affinity Home Care, we take personal pride in offering expert and empathetic care
for our patients and clients going through the hardships and disabilities associated with
advancing age.

Our experienced caregivers are compassionate, thoroughly trained professionals. Each
goes through an extensive background check, assuring only the best of the best
make it through our meticulous hiring process.

You can rest assured of receiving the finest, most professional care possible.

Nursing Supervisor – who makes the initial home visit to assess, plan, and supervise care and also conducts monthly visits free of charge to supervise care and provide ongoing support and education for family members at home;

Elder Care Advocate – who will attend to all your needs, and provide liaison to community resources;

Brain Damage from Stroke

“You and your family of caring staff have been the best thing that has ever happened to me since I had my fall, thank you.”

– Donna P.

“I cannot say enough at how kind and helpful and understanding all of the staff were in our time of need to help take care of our mother.

There are no words to describe how much we appreciate the loving care…”

– Mary Lou F.

I appreciate your efficiency, thoroughness and caring touches! Your understanding of Alzheimer’s has been extremely helpful. Just knowing that Mom is safe in her home with Leesa has made a huge difference in our lives my brother is finally getting his life back after taking care of Mom this past year.

I wanted to express my gratitude to you, your staff. When mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, we were frantic. We knew she would eventually need constant care and were at a total loss as to how to care for her. Our fears were that if we did have to hire someone to care for her, how we could trust they would care for her as we would.

– Sandi and Joe G.

“Your care and organization has been the greatest thing for our family, especially for my father.

Thanks for your great service.”

– Dwight A.

In addition to what we provide, we offer you educational assistance to care for your loved one that suffered a stroke:

For more information or
to schedule a FREE In-Home consultation,
Call Us:

Palm Beach County:561-483-4044

Broward County:954-427-6916

Miami-Dade County:305-625-9299

Are You Caring For a Loved One Who

Suffered a Stroke?

Needs help with daily living Is alone or may be at risk Has family living far away Has cognitive problems Has vision and perception problems Is paralyzed on one side Has muscle spasticity Has mobility issues Has problems communicating Has incontinence issues Relies on constant around the clock care

How to Care for the Stroke Survivor

When your loved one has a stroke, they’re in a hospital or rehabilitation center where many resources are available to help them get through their day. However, most people want to come home, and if you are the caregiver, you will be responsible for the day-to-day care of someone who has experienced a debilitating brain attack.

Depending on the severity of the stroke, your loved one may have partial or full paralysis of one side of their body, a diminished ability to talk, or difficulty with his or her mobility. Of course, this does not even take into account the emotional and psychological effects that a stroke has on a person’s outlook on life. As a stroke survivor’s primary caregiver, it is your job to assist with their physical and emotional needs while taking care of your own, as well.

Dealing with Paralysis and Spasticity

Paralysis is one of the most common side effects of a stroke. You’ll commonly hear it referred to as hemiparesis, which means that the paralysis exists only on one side of the body. Depending on how bad the stroke was, your loved one may have some ability to use that side of the body or they may have no use of it at all. This will determine how much care your loved one will need in their activities of daily living. Your loved one may also experience spasticity, which is a constant clenching of the muscles that resists stretching. This will also determine how well they are able to get around.

Part of dealing with paralysis and spasticity is engaging in daily exercise.

You will need to assist your loved one in daily range of motion exercises with their affected arm and leg. Range of motion exercises means that you gently move the affected limb through the extent that it is capable of moving.

It is important to focus on moving the limb carefully and stretching the muscle, but not moving to the point of pain or extending the muscles beyond their limits. Your loved one will not have the same range of motion in their arm that you would have due to their condition.

Try to do range of motion exercises at least three times a day.

For limbs that are paralyzed, it is important to reposition them frequently throughout the day to prevent sores from forming. Since the limb does not have any feeling or the ability to move, your loved one will not be able to respond to any pain stimulus and cannot move the limb on their own to prevent a sore.

It is important to check at least once a day for sores on the paralyzed limbs and on their backside if your loved one is chair or bed bound.

Helping your Loved One with Daily Life

Helping with Mobility

Depending on the extent of your loved one’s stroke, mobility may often be a challenge. It is important to use any assistive devices that your loved one has been taught to use. Wheelchairs, walkers, and quad canes are essential in helping with mobility.

Another important mobility device is the ankle-foot orthosis or AFO. This is a device that fits over your loved one’s foot to keep the foot from dropping whenever they attempt to walk. It is essential that this device is worn inside the shoe to prevent foot drop and help prevent falls. Walkers and canes should be used as instructed by physical therapy staff.

Do not allow your loved one to use furniture or walls as walking aids as this is unsafe and can lead to falls. Falls are a big danger for stroke survivors, and can lead to further immobility and a worsening of their condition.

Around the house, make sure that there are no carpets that are loose or any other floor decorations that your loved one could trip over, such as runners. Go around your house and assure that there is clearance for your loved one’s walker or wheelchair to make it through different areas of the house.

There should be enough room for it to safely clear doorways, hallways, and other passageways between furniture. Wide-open spaces between furniture is better than small areas that would need negotiation. The bathroom is often a site of falls for stroke survivors. If possible, have handle rails installed in the shower and next to the toilet. Purchase an elevated toilet seat so that your loved one does not have to struggle to stand back up after using the commode. Remove any carpets that are on the floor of the bathroom, and purchase a tub seat for the bathtub for easy showering.

Bathroom Issues

One of the most difficult things for stroke survivors deal with is the lack of control regarding their bathroom habits. Urinary and bowel incontinence is an unfortunate side effect of stroke, but there are some steps you can take to help your loved one deal with this embarrassing side effect.

One strategy you can employ is to offer your loved one the option of using the bathroom every 2 to 3 hours, whether they need to go or not. Sometimes getting them on the schedule can help prevent accidents and avoid an embarrassing problem.

Your loved one may want to limit their fluids due to urinary incontinence, but this can lead to dehydration. Encourage them to drink during the day, but limit drinking during the night to avoid incontinence while sleeping.

Assure that your loved one has privacy and plenty of time to use the toilet when toileting is in progress.

Constipation is another issue that stroke survivors deal with. Although enemas and laxatives are often used, use some other strategies to help your loved one move their bowels. Assure that they always uses a sitting position when attempting to move their bowels. Laying down does not often result in a bowel movement. Eating a diet high in fiber, moving around during the day, and drinking enough fluids also help with constipation in the stroke survivor.

Communication and Emotions

Stroke survivors often suffer from aphasia or an inability to communicate. One of the ways you can help your loved one is to encourage them to be patient with themselves in trying to express their feelings to you. It may be frustrating for both of you, but the stroke survivor needs to understand that their thoughts and feelings are still valuable and are worth the time it takes to be understood.

Assist your loved one with props, picture books, or any other aides that help them communicate their feelings to you. Also, be sensitive for depression that is quite common in stroke survivors. If your loved one expresses feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, or wanting to die, you need to report this to his or her doctor immediately. These feelings are not normal and they can be treated with medication.

Getting Help

Caring for a loved one who is a stroke survivor is not an easy job. It takes love, patience, and understanding to deal with all the challenges that a stroke survivor presents.

It is important that you take care of yourself to take care of your loved one. If you are frustrated, angry, or irritable, your loved one will pick up on it, and it will affect them.

Getting help does not mean you failed. Getting help only means that you’re human. If you need a nurse or some other support aid to come into your house for a few hours a day, then you need to make the call, not only for you, but for your loved one, as well.

We provide a wide range of services and can assist you with whatever level of care you and your loved one need.

In turn, you’ll be able to focus on what you do best and what Only You Can Provide:

Respite Care – Family Caregiver Wellbeing

It’s important to understand even the most dedicated family caregiver needs some time off.

By taking many of the burdens of home geriatric care off your shoulders, the trained, skilled home care professionals at Affinity gives you back the freedoms you probably have been going without.

Time for shopping, visiting friends, going to the dentist, getting back to
work… or simply taking a much needed breather from the responsibilities of geriatric care.

Concerned Care Brought Directly Into Your Home

You want to be absolutely sure the care being providing by an outside service is every bit as nurturing and compassionate as you yourself would give.

At Affinity Home Care, that’s what we’re all about. We make quality of life commitments so much easier for all involved. Allowing you or your loved ones the independence wanted combined with the nursing help and daily living support needed.

If you’ve made the decision to care for an aging family member or loved one in their home, Affinity will be there – helping to assure every aspect of the patient’s needs are properly met.

Affinity Home Care Specialty Areas

Affinity Home Care is proud to link the resources of a leading home health care system to homes in over 30 communities in South Florida. Our longstanding tradition of compassionate community-based home care is enriched by collaboration with the region’s leading healthcare institutions.
Our home care services incorporate advances in medical research and best home health care traditions that enable people to recover from illness or injury in the comfort of their home. The experienced office support staff and compassionate caregivers can provide personalized in-home care and assistance tailored to your loved one’s specific needs and condition.
If your loved one is suffering from Alzheimer’s, Dementia, suffered or is recovering from a recent Stroke, has Congestive Heart Failure, Vision problems, Spinal Stenosis, Parkison’s Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease), Huntington’s Disease, or other disorders that require home care services, the Affinity Case Management team and experienced caregivers will ensure your loved one is well cared for in their own home.

Alzheimer’s & Dementia Home Care

It’s usually passed off as “just normal” signs of aging. Forgetting where one placed a wallet or handbag, or where the car is parked. Familiar names seem to vanish when trying to recall them, being just on the tip of the tongue but never making it all the way to full consciousness.

While these episodes do pass, they keep cropping up with increased frequency.

Stroke Home Care

When your loved one has a stroke, they’re in a hospital or rehabilitation center where many resources are available to help them get through their day. However, most people want to come home, and if you are the caregiver, you will be responsible for the day-to-day care of someone who has experienced a debilitating brain attack.

Congestive Heart Failure Home Care

Congestive heart failure is a condition where the heart is not able to pump blood throughout the body as well as it once could. Since blood is not about to get through the system well, blood begins to back up in areas of the circulatory system which increases blood pressure and forces fluid…

Macular Degeneration Care

More than 10 million people in the US are diagnosed with macular degeneration. It is typically age related and is a progressive blindness in the eye.

What starts out, around the age of 60, as blurry vision will, over time, become total blindness. It is very important to remember that macular degeneration will not directly affect the mental or any other physical aspects of your loved one.

Spinal Stenosis Care

At a basic level, spinal stenosis is the degradation of the spine and can lead to pain and discomfort in the lower back, hips, legs and feet. About 25% of the cases of spinal stenosis affect the shoulders, arms and upper body as well. Some people with spinal stenosis do not experience pain, but they may have numbness throughout their body.

Parkinson’s Home Care

Any diagnosis of a degenerative neurological disease is heart breaking, and Parkinson’s is no exception. When your loved one is facing the long term facts of Parkinson’s, it falls to you as the primary care provider to make them as comfortable as possible.

Multiple Sclerosis Care

Multiple sclerosis is a neurological disease that will, over time, cause loss of muscle control, balance, vision and sensation. When a person has multiple sclerosis, their immune system, for an unknown reason, will begin attacking and destroying the protective covering on the nerves in the body.

ALS Home Care

The diagnosis of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig’s disease can be just as devastating for the family of the person who has been diagnosed as it is for the person who has received the diagnosis.

If you have a loved one who has recently been diagnosed with ALS, their care may be in your hands.

Huntington’s Disease Care

Huntington’s disease is a genetic disorder that is progressive. Though there is no cure for Huntington’s at this time, research is ongoing all the time and there are definitely ways to make your loved ones live a life as wonderful as possible, even when dealing with this disease.